Santa Clara County supe probed for misuse of funds

The Associated Press

A Santa Clara County supervisor who spent taxpayer dollars on fancy dinners, a first-class airline upgrade and expensive golf round is being criminally investigated by local prosecutors and the state's political watchdog.

The San Jose Mercury News reported (
http://bit.ly/TesXFh
) that lax oversight allowed 50-year-old George Shirakawa Jr. to charge taxpayers $36,717 over the past four years with few questions asked.

The charges included more than 180 meals, often at high-end restaurants, with other local officials. He also bought a high-definition television, and bankrolled trips to luxury resorts and casinos with public money.